PENNSYLVANIA AVE.: Move on from Planned Parenthood, Toomey says

April 08, 2011

Sen. Pat Toomey said Friday that Republicans should move past the debate on defunding Planned Parenthood - a sticking point in the negotiations over the fiscal 2011 budget -- and pass a bill to avoid a government shutdown.

"You know, I'd like to defund Planned Parenthood, but I understand that Republicans don't have complete control of the elected government, so I think what we should do is cut spending as much as we can, get the policy changes that we can, but move on because there are other bigger battles that we ought to be fighting," Toomey said on MSNBC.

Taking a pragmatic approach to this fight over spending that threatens a government shutdown if not resolved by midnight Friday, Toomey urged Congress to compromise.

"I want to cut spending as much as anyone in this town; I want a pro-growth policy, but I've been here before, and I understand that you can't always get your way. What you got to do is get the best arrangement you can, get the biggest cuts in spending we can right now, and then move on and fight a bigger battle," he said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters Friday that the sides had reached an agreement on spending, but talks broke down over Planned Parenthood funding. He said House Speaker John Boehner would not budge.

Toomey is a fiscal conservative, but he's never really engaged in the social policy debates.